Glorious Gems from Burma

Oh I have been so envious of my colleague who is a gemstone specialist and has just returned from her trip to Burma!  She brought back these stunning star sapphires, spinels and garnets and we have been ooh’ing and aah’ing over them here in the shop for weeks now.  Burma is well known for its fine quality rubies and sapphires but it is less well known for being a source of spinel in a wide range of colours: red, pink, grey, blue and black.

Now, just on a note that in case you lose your heart to one of these gemstones, please know that they are all for sale, price on application as my colleague told me:

Grey Cushion Cut Spinel from Burma

On of my favourite colours in the whole wide world is taupe – you know that luscious blend of pink and grey that is set off so beautifully against white?  Well, seeing this grey coloured spinel definitely made me think of the colour taupe, but my colleague didn’t agree with me, so you can draw your own conclusions of the colour.  I think it was just divine, either way!  It also happens to be my favourite cut: cushion, so getting to see it at close up was just such a treat!

Pink Spinel from Burma

Pink Spinel from Burma

Then there was this lovely, bright pink spinel, again in a beautiful cushion cut.  The second photo is more true to the colour of the stone in real life, I am not sure how I managed to get it so intense in the top photos – sorry about that!

Spinels are very interesting gemstones and have been mistaken for rubies for centuries; it wasn’t until 1783 that spinels were officially differentiated from rubies.  In fact, the Queen has a spinel in her Imperial Crown, which for many years was thought to be a ruby and still bears the name Black Prince’s Ruby.  However, when it was tested it transpired that it was in fact a red spinel!   It weighs 170 carats and is set just above the Cullinan II diamond at the front of the crown.  Spinels have a hardness of 8, which makes them more durable than emeralds and consequently very wearable gemstones.

Star Sapphire from Burma

And then there was this star sapphire; another one of my favourite gemstones.  You might remember from the blog post A Star Ruby Romance that out of every 100 mined corundom (rubies and sapphires) only three will show this star pattern – and only one out of these three will have a good star and good colour!

Grey Star Sapphire at Richard Ogden

Last but not least, there was this parti coloured star sapphire (top gem in the photo above), which means that part of it is one colour and part of it another, which you can see quite clearly in the photo above.

Which one is your favourite?

Antique ‘En Tremblent’ Gold Brooch

At Richard Ogden Gold Bird Brooch ‘En Tremblent’ with turquoise stones and rubies

Oh I just had to share this brooch with you fine folks, as it is just such a sweet and beautifully made piece of jewellery, circa 1880, so a late Victorian piece.  The style is referred to as En Tremblent, which obviously is French and means to tremble.  The name comes from the gemstones and sections of the piece being set so that they have some beautiful movement to them.  As an example, in this brooch the bird is set on a gold spring, which makes it tremble when it is moved around.  The ruby in its beak is only fastened with a small bit of gold, so it gives an extra dimension of movement to the piece.  It is so well made, which was also pointed out by one of the most skilled antique style jewellery craftsmen that I know here in London – he if anyone would know what quality when it comes to antique pieces!

The back of the brooch, which is just about as beautiful as the front!

They started creating en tremblent jewellery in the late 18th century, as the movement of the gemstones so cleverly caught the light and attracted the eye.  They would mainly create floral sprays with the main flower en tremblent, to make it look like it was swaying in the wind.  We already know that these old cut diamonds were especially stunning in candle light, as the light would be reflected across the room in the most soft and romantic manner.

Richard Ogden Gold Bird Brooch En Tremblent with turquoise and rubies

So how would you style it, since brooches are making such a wonderful comeback?

Antique Diamond Cluster Ring

It is December and we are finding ourselves in glittery and sparkling outfits, that during the rest of the year would be seen to be a little OTT but now is just right!  So I thought that it was time to revel in all this extravagance and this Georgian style diamond cluster ring is the perfect place to start:

Georgian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

So I didn’t used to be in to cluster rings, I suppose coming from Sweden/Finland where there is a great appreciation for clean and simple designs, cluster rings were never a consideration for me.  However, having seen so many beautiful Victorian and Georgian rings here in England, and seeing what a beautiful part in the history of jewellery design they are, I now absolutely adore them and always enjoy viewing them when one comes around the shop.  There is such a romantic look around a really beautifully set diamond cluster ring and the one that I have hijacked for this post is a perfect example: 

Georgian style diamond cluster ring in a cut down setting

This is a Georgian style diamond cluster ring set with a cushion cut centre diamond.  This beautiful cushion is surrounded by old brilliant cut diamonds and it is all set in a Georgian style cut down setting in 18ct white gold, with the shank of the ring mounted in 18ct yellow gold.
Let’s take a closer look at what this actually means: first of all the Cushion Cut is in my eyes the most romantic cut of diamond that there is and it makes a wonderful choice for an engagement ring.  It has a soft and subtle sparkle to it, which (and I know that I have mentioned this before) is best viewed in candle light where the brilliance comes to its own right when the flames are reflected in the facets of the diamond.

Victorian Style Diamond Cluster Ring at Richard Ogden

As for the Georgian cut down setting: this is a different style to what we are used to seeing in contemporary designs, as today quite often diamonds are held in place with gold or platinum claws, however here you can see how the white gold surrounds the diamonds in a very period typical design.  In order to bring out the whiteness in the diamonds the white gold is closest to the stones, whereas the yellow gold makes up the shank, which I think is the ideal design for a classic cluster ring.

The ring is beautifully finished off with fleur de lis design shoulders, which you can see quite nicely in the photo below:

Fleur de Lis design shoulders

This ring was made up by one of the most wonderful craftsmen that I have met here in London, who specialises in Georgian and Victorian designs, and it is just a joy to see all the amazing designs that he comes up with, often using old cut diamonds.  I hope you enjoyed this just as much as I did, I would love to hear your thoughts below!

 

Carved Turquoise Earrings

Turquoise, emerald and diamond earrings, Art Deco

Yesterday a customer came into the antique jewellery shop where I work and wanted to try on a pair of turquoise earrings from our window.  I went to get them out and judge by my delight when I realised that I hadn’t actually seen them before (it is always exciting when new jewellery comes into the shop, as every piece teaches you something new) and I loved them!  Let’s take a closer look:

Turquoise, emerald and diamond earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery

You guys probably by now know my love for the Turquoise stone, which has been my grandmother’s favourite all these years.  She is so cute when she dresses up in a turquoise outfit top to toe and wears some turquoise jewellery with that – and a hat, always a hat!

Okay so back to the earrings: we weren’t completely sure of their age, but to me they look like your typical 1920s – or even 1910 – design, which is given away by that beautiful millegrain setting (when then metal is pulled up into tiny little beads along the edge).  At the top we have a natural pearl, which is a very rare thing these days and tends to fetch top dollars.  Suspended from the pearl is a diamond and emerald set cap withand on the bottom a carved Persian turquoise.

So these beauties are from Moira Fine Jewellery and I suspect that they won’t be sticking around in the shop for too long so I intend to spend all of today looking at them.

Have a lovely day my dear!

Ruby and Diamond Rings

Oh I do hope things are well with you dear!  At my end it has been busy times indeed but all great fun.  The shop is gearing up for Christmas and the Christmas Catalogue has been taking up a lot of time lately but it looks so amazing now, yei!  We have a little helper in the shop at the moment, Suki, who is clearly taking her job very seriously:

Boss Lady

I was helping a customer the other day with choosing an engagement ring and it is always fun when someone goes for a different stone than a diamond.  I was showing them these two beauties:

Ruby and Diamond engagement rings at Richard Ogden

The left one is a Ruby and Diamond Cluster Ring in an Art Deco style, which I find is very popular at the moment.  The right one is a Ruby and Diamond Target Ring and just the most fabulous design – it gets a lot of attention from those who want something classic but still different.

Ruby and Diamond engagement ring at Richard Ogden

The ruby and diamond cluster ring is also referred to as a Halo Ring, where the diamonds surround the centre stone like that.  It is especially lovely when the guy has taken the girl’s birthstone into consideration (for those who are lucky enough to have a strong enough stone as their birthstone that is – my Amethyst for February sure wouldn’t make a great one as it is far too soft!)

The July-born ones are very lucky to have the Ruby as their stone – and the September Sapphire is another great one.  Emeralds in May are a bit softer and might not be the best choice, because if you accidentally hit it against something in the wrong place you might be looking at a mighty fine crack all across the stone.  However, as I think I have mentioned before, some people look after their jewellery very well and I know someone who has worn the soft aquamarine for 30 years without any damage to it!

Ruby and Diamond Target Ring, Engagement Ring, Richard Ogden

This Target Ring is so special and you won’t find another one in many places (except a sapphire one that we also have at the shop!) because they are made by this one craftsman who isn’t creating any more of them at the moment.

So there we are, I so love going to work and helping people find their dream jewellery – there are so many beautiful designs out there for us to enjoy!

Well Diamonds Sure Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Hello dearest, I know that I haven’t written in a long time but things have been pretty hectic all around – and you can always follow me on the Decades of Elegance Instagram page, as that one definitely gets updated on a regular basis!  Now let me take you for a quick spin at the antique jewellery shop to show you what I have been up to lately:

Oh you know, just another week at work, trying on a pair of Diamond Drop Earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery

In the photo above I was trying on a pair of antique-style diamond drop earrings from Moira Fine Jewellery.  The earrings are a “bow and swag design” and they feature old cut and rose cut diamonds and the stones are mounted in silver upon gold.  This was a key feature of the Victorian era, as it made the diamonds face up whiter than they would if mounted in yellow gold.

Floral Diamond Earrings from Richard Ogden

One of the things that has been taking up my time is measuring diamond weight – and yes, the calculator above gets more attention that any of the pieces of jewellery in the shop!

Floral Diamond Earrings from Richard Ogden

Diamonds are measured in carats, and one carat equals 0.2 grams – in other words five carats would weigh 1 gram.  So whenever I do valuations for insurance at the jewellery shop I will count all the diamonds in a piece and measure their size in order to determine their value.  In the photo above you can see the metal thingy that is used for determining the size of very small diamonds – I just always forget what the little tool is called – stencil?!

Diamond Bracelet 

Art Deco Diamond Bracelet at Richard Ogden

And just to finish off the post: a couple of breathtaking Art Deco diamond bracelets, definitely something to keep dreaming about.  I know that these would both go so beautifully with all outfits in my wardrobe..!

Burlington Arcade – then and now

                      Burlington Arcade with its beautiful new floors – we are huge fans!

Hello my dearest one, you might have wondered why there have been so few new blog posts lately and I can only blame it on the bane of my misery: IT.  But things should be up and running now so that we can get back to our beloved antique jewellery!

It has been a few really fun weeks in the antique shop; we have had some beautiful pieces come through the door and we are now in the middle of putting together the Christmas Catalogue! (I know right, in August!?)!  But it is all great fun and I am learning TONS, and obviously passing on the most interesting information to you fine folks!

      A few diamond set clasps for necklaces that I was showing a client – on top of an old                                                Burlington Arcade postcard

Yesterday three photographs of the Burlington Arcade at the beginning of the 19th century popped up on my desk.  We have looked at the history of the Arcade before, in the blog post the Burlington Arcade in London, but there are a few more fun pieces of information left to learn:

               Antique photographs featuring the Burlington Arcade – at Richard Ogden

In the top photo you can see one of the Beadles (the gentlemen guarding the Arcade) addressing a man with an umbrella, as you are not allowed to carry open umbrellas in the Arcade.  Legend has it that even after the bombings in the 1940s destroyed the roof of the Arcade the Beadles would enforce the no-umbrella law – that is how seriously they take their duties!

                       The new floors of the Burlington Arcade, as modelled by Fluffy

And you might not know this, but whistling is not allowed in the Arcade either, and there is quite a shocking reason to this: during the 1800s the first floors in the Arcade were used by “working ladies”, and every time that the police approached the Arcade someone would whistle to warn these ladies – and the men who were with them – so that they could make a quick escape!  So whenever someone walks down the Arcade whistling, they get a kind reminder from the Beadles that it is not allowed.  I do in fact hear quite a few people every week trying to whistle a little tune in the arcade, and it is a shame in a way that you are not allowed to, as the acoustics are so great now that we have the beautiful new floors there!

                             Then and Now – the entrance of the Burlington Arcade

And in the bottom postcard we have a view of the entrance to the Arcade before it was redesigned in the 30s.  I had a lot of fun putting together the two photos above, as they really highlight how much has changed in these past 100 years – just look at people’s outfits!  Not to mention all the vehicles blocking the way for my perfect photo!!

I would love to hear which one of the two designs you prefer – and also whether you have visited the Arcade and maybe have some special memories from there?  For example seeing a pair of glorious earrings, or maybe shopping for an engagement ring?

A Belle Epoque Diamond Tiara to die for…

Oh you guys, I just had to share this photo with you – I am at Richard Ogden, trying on a Belle Epoque diamond set tiara which is just insanely beautiful!

Diamond Tiara Belle Epoque from Richard Ogden, Burlington Arcade

The Belle Epoque stretched from circa 1895 to 1914 and ran alongside Art Nouveau.  In this tiara the brilliant cut diamonds are set in yellow gold, and it features the time-typical romantic design, which was lavish yet delicate with diamonds taking centre stage.

I have also just found out that brides can hire this tiara for their wedding (£200+VAT) and really feel like a princess for a day – boom!

1920s Diamond Cocktail Watches

Ohh can I just share my latest obsession with you guys?!  Diamond set cocktail watches from the 1920s…

I am in love with these two 1920s cocktail watches from Moira...

These two beauties came into the shop recently and belong to Moira Fine Jewellery, and the owner told me that it is quite rare to find watches that are also set with rubies or emeralds – usually they “only” feature diamonds.  Ahh the craftsmanship here is just exquisite, look at the flow of the gemstones, how evenly set they are without any interfering metal in between.

That is actually another thing I wanted to talk to you about; I speak to a lot of lovely people who are looking for engagement rings, and I know that many come into the shop for inspiration and then order their things online or have them made elsewhere.  That is totally fine, but the sad part is when they then bring in the jewellery a few months later and ask us to help repair them, because the stone is rattling in the mount or diamonds have fallen out… There is a reason why some pieces are cheaper online and you have to ask yourself if you want a ring that you can wear for the rest of your life, knowing that it is of the best quality – or if you want to cut corners now and then deal with the problems as they arise.  A handmade ring mount designed for your diamond is a million times better than a mass-produced cast mount, where any old diamond has been set… just something to keep in mind!

All of these beautiful antique pieces were handmade and these watches are perfect examples of what the end product would look like:

Two stunning cocktail watches from Moira Fine Jewellery – the left one set with rubies and the right one set with emeralds.  Very unusual design, as mostly they are only diamond set 

They obviously would only be worn at special occasions – another thing for us to remember with antique jewellery; ladies of the time wouldn’t do a lot of housework and gardening, so the jewellery wouldn’t have been made with that kind of work in mind.  That is why one has to be extra vigilant with older jewellery and make sure to have them checked over by a jewellery once a year so that the claws are intact and holding the diamonds the way they are supposed to!

Now if only I had the perfect party to wear one of these to…

Summer Sparkle and a Summer Break

Happy Thursday my sweetheart!  So it has been a few super fun weeks at the antique shop and those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen a few of these photos already, but here I can tell you a bit more about them!

I may have had a little play around with all the beautiful aquamarine and diamond rings from Moira and Richard Ogden…

I have such a soft spot for Aquamarines and they sure tally up well with diamonds!  When you get a really beautiful one it is like gazing into the Mediterranean Ocean, with that light-blue, see-through colour, where you almost expect little tropical fish to swim past!

Multicoloured gold necklace from Moira Fine Jewels

Ahh this was a funny story..!  The guys at Moira Fine Jewels asked me to wear this necklace in the shop and I took a few photos of it for their social media.  I then unwrapped it once around my neck to take it off – only to realise that I got myself into a real tangle and sure couldn’t get out!  One of my colleagues tried to help me but gave up after five minutes – fortunately my favourite jewellery craftsman walked through the door that very moment and decided to help and after another five minutes I was freed!  But that ridiculous feeling of being trapped sure came over me for a split second – although I can think of worse ways to go than in a £23,000 necklace with garnets, aquamarines and amethysts!  We also decided to measure it as it is so super long, and here is a live shot from the exercise:

How to measure jewellery

There were no two ways about it: it had to be done manually with a tape measurer and we made sure that all the aquamarines, sapphires in a rainbow of colours, citrines, peridots and zircons were included – and ended up with an impressive 7 feet!

So anyway, that is what we have been up to lately and I will now be going away for two weeks, and I won’t have very much internet connection, so it means that I will see you again after the 13th of June!  Wishing you a wonderful summer until then – and make sure to wear all your most beautiful pieces during that time!!

Cushion cut diamond ring from Moira Fine Jewels

And here is one more for good luck – a stunning cushion cut diamond from Moira Fine Jewels… and we swoon!